Richard Linklater has now proven to be one of the best directors ever with his masterpiece that will go down in the books for ages to come. This guy managed to make a movie (yes, not a documentary but a MOVIE) using the same cast for twelve years with everything planned out ahead in how to tell a convincing story. Not one single soon to be Hollywood cliche got in the way. Not one original idea was shattered and improvised. Richard Linklater somehow managed to write a story from scratch and keep that same story on paper for over a decade as well as keep production moving for three weeks of every year they shot. How did they manage to convince the cast to keep coming back every year before they signed the contract? How did they manage to make the movie look as new as it did even though they started shooting over a decade ago with cameras and technology changing every six months? How did they manage to cast a kid who would devote his life on camera for three weeks of every year until he turned 18? Better yet, how did they manage to cast a kid that would look a lot like a young Ethan Hawke (who plays his dad) through his face and expressions towards the end of the movie but not at the beginning?! I don't know but this film already belongs in a museum!
There is no main plot for the movie because the title is really self explanatory. It's about Boyhood and whatever happens through the eyes of our main character, Mason, who we witness grow from age 6 to age 18 in almost three hours. It feels so much faster though since each year of our main character we see for only an average of thirteen minutes each. It's like watching a series of shorts featuring the same cast aging throughout. As interesting as it is to see Ellar Coltrane (who play's Mason) age, as well as Lorelei Linklater (the director's daughter who play's his older sister) age; it's really interesting to see Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke (who play the parents) age, because of how familiar one could be with the other projects they were doing at the time of filming. When we first see Ethan Hawke, it's like he just finished shooting Training Day and is about to shoot Before Sunset (another Linklater film worth watching). Same goes for Patricia Arquette for guessing which season of the show medium she finished shooting.
The movie doesn't want us to get sucked into any plot really. In fact every plot is just a sub-plot to our main characters. The movie just wants us to get sucked into our characters and wants us to witness them mature through the examples of the events that happen. Any supporting characters within those events provide great detail in helping either support or damage the development our main characters had with their surroundings. I know that sounds complicated, but we see Mason's mom get remarried a couple of times where the stepfather either helps or damages Mason's look at life providing either fear or bravery for him. Linklater really put focus on that detail which makes Mason's character seem more accurate each time we visit him in the next year because it really does look like he was abused by a drunken stepfather at age 9. It really is like witnessing someone in your real life grow up. The best thing is that there are no flashbacks AT ALL. It's great because the best way to make a movie is to have it not feel like a movie, ESPECIALLY if it's under the title "Boyhood".
The performances we get from our four characters we see grow up are beyond perfect. None of them seem tired or weak like they've been working on the movie for eight years or nothing that hints or spits out that they're in just a movie instead of an experience of a lifetime (literally). Ellar Coltrane provides a true performance for every age he is. He's not a 7 year old playing a character written for a 12 year old for vice versa. He really does act each age in the movie. Lorelei Linklater could be classified as the just the older sister who also has a character somewhat, but somehow always acts the same and never changes personality. I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing since I've never been a female at any age in my life. She does provide an excellent presence as Mason's older sister because she does act like that throughout the whole movie as well, which is a very good thing. Without her in the main ensemble, it wouldn't have provided as much depth for Mason or the parents. That's where we get to the BEST performances... the parents. Both Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke have already proved to be Oscar contenders this year. Not one minute do we not believe they are parents. Not one minute do they seem tired or bored with the material they have to provide each year. Not one minute was I bored with their characters and didn't want to give them a big hug for their commitment. Same goes for director Richard Linklater as well, who I will say has formed a better bond with actor Ethan Hawke than any other Actor/Director duo. I'd like to see Tim Burton and Johnny Depp stay committed to a singular thirteen year project.
I'm not sure whether the Academy will go for this sort of movie since it could be over qualified as "too original", but in my book, this is easily the Best Picture of the year BY FAR so far. Unless Christopher Nolan manages to make Intersteller like Inception times 10, then the best director award from me goes to Richard Linklater for this masterpiece in the thirteen years of writing, filming and editing. Ethan Hawke easily has my award for Best Supporting Actor of this year so far, same for Patricia Arquette in Supporting Actress. If you're looking for a movie with the most realistic portrayals of parenting (even though I'm not a parent myself yet), these are it. This is the most fun I've had watching Ethan Hawke on the big screen in the long time because he is very energized throughout this movie, especially at the beginning. Patricia Arquette's very last scene in the movie made me weep because that's exactly how my mom was when I was the age Mason is when the movie ends. I'm not going to be descriptive of what that scene is about, but Linklater's twelve year build up in filming makes it pay off perfectly since that was like THE SCENE he wanted out of Arquette more than any other I believe.
It was spectacular getting to finally witness this over-a-decade build up on the big screen. It's not easy making a movie when so many things go wrong on set. How did Linklater manage to keep it all together? What if one of the actors or crew members died? What if the footage somehow got destroyed? That kind of stuff happens within only a year in the making, but twelve years?! THAT'S amazing. What's more amazing though is how the film came together without any unimportant scenes or years they filmed. Every scene in the movie is necessary when trying to capture the moment each character lives in the film. It could've easily been a documentary, but those have obviously been done before. When it comes to making a scripted feature film, that's literally unlike anything that's been done before, and I am extremely proud of Richard Linklater managing to accomplish that goal with no barely any problems that I for the rest of the fans of this movie know about. I'm proud to call it the best film of the year so far and these four stars I'm giving it are an understatement to how I really feel about this journey Linklater has presented to us. It makes me respect life more than ever. :)
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